Clinton v. Buchanan 1996

[Stranger in a strange land]

What if Pat Buchanan had won the GOP nomination in 1996? How would the election results have been different? Could Buchanan have won?

My personal theory is that Buchanan would have done a better job galvanizing the conservative vote and the isolationist/anti-free trade crowd, but he would have scared the **** out of moderates, minorities, immigrants,  liberals, and Jews who would have turned out to vote for Clinton in large numbers. I remember I was a kid in 1996 and my Jewish neighbors were terrified when Buchanan narrowly edged out Dole in the NH primary. 

I think Clinton would have won a majority of the popular vote, probably in the 51-53 range. Clinton would probably have broken 400 in the Electoral College and won in an LBJ-type landslide. I'd be interested to see what others  think.

Maps?

[The Dowager Mod]

526-12

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

526-12

That looks all cheneyed up (check the latest Cheney approval ratings to get the joke).

[The Dowager Mod]

I got it.

[George W. Hobbes]

Nah, Pat sweeps the Deep South (SC, AL, MS, TX) and also wins the Dakotas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, plus the Mormon Triangle.

[WalterMitty]

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Walter might be closer, though I don't even think Texas would have gone for Pat, and Kansas and Alaska would have been very close.

I was a Buchannan supporter in 1996.  Thank God I grew up.

[J. J.]

The GOP would have had at least one less vote, mine.  You might have had Perot winning some Dole states.

[bgwah]

The GOP would have had at least one less vote, mine.  You might have had Perot winning some Dole states.

I didn't think of Perot until you mentioned him.

I wonder how well he would have done!! Much better than he actually did.

With that in mind, there definitely would have been some states in the 40% shade and probably the 30% shade, too.

Clinton would easily win, though.